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I bought an e46 sedan today and knew that the car lock was broken. The key could just lock the car but i guess it was not charged enough as i could no longer open it now! ( A few hours after)
Any idea how i can re-open the car?

Does the ignition have to be on for the key to be charging, or could I just leave it in overnight? I don't like to use the 2nd keyfob, as all the settings are different. Also, do you recommend charging the 2nd keyfob from time to time?

definitely recharge second fob from time to time. I would think ignition would have to be on to charge the key but my bentley is at work so i'd have to see a wiring diagram (not sure if it's even in the manual).

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Originally Posted by MTA330ci

Does anyone have a recommendation on which is the best high performance valve stems?

definitely recharge second fob from time to time. I would think ignition would have to be on to charge the key but my bentley is at work so i'd have to see a wiring diagram (not sure if it's even in the manual).

Does the ignition have to be on for the key to be charging, or could I just leave it in overnight? I don't like to use the 2nd keyfob, as all the settings are different. Also, do you recommend charging the 2nd keyfob from time to time?

The ignition needs to be in the Acc or On positions to charge the internal battery in the diamond keys. The key should be charged at the very least every 6 months for several hours.

If you save your seat position the same for position 1 & 2 and set all other things the same then you will not see a difference between the keyfobs.

That is true. If you don't want the setting from the 2nd key to change the seat, mirror, etc then open the car with the key in the door instead of with the remote (the car won't know which key was used and therefore won't change anything.)

I think??? depending on how the car is coded, that radio station presets and climate control settings can be stored as well. Or at least the last climate control settings that were used may be recalled when the key is used?

It can be a bit of a PITA to get sorted, but as long as you are the sole driver it should not be too big of an issue.

FYI I've been locked out like that once and I called AAA to come open the car. The guy used one of those airbag wedges to get the driver door open enough to stick a metal rod in and and hit unlock.

To our surprise when he hit the button the car deadbolted into some sort of security mode. (apparently this has to do with a weight sensor in the seat recognizing that there's no one in the seat) He ended up leaving but I later discovered you have to hit the button multiple times and also lasso the drivers side door handle to get it.

I'm not sure the exact sequence but it was something like unlock button (center console) then lasso door and pull then unlock again..if anyone knows the exact sequence for the e46 security system it might be worth posting!